How to Add User Accounts to a Starbound Server

in Starbound

By Dalton Whalen

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Overview

In the universe of Starbound, other survivors are guaranteed to pop up and attempt to thrive on your dedicated server. In some cases, you may wish to have more control as to what players can do. Luckily, Starbound allows you to create player accounts, which are used to set players as admins and even enable a whitelist to choose who joins. With a unique username and password for each of your players, you can easily choose to limit the world to your closest friends or even just yourself, preventing all anonymous connections to the server. Making these changes to the server is easy with the Apex Hosting config files, so we have created this guide to show you how to add user accounts to a Starbound server.
 

Locating the Config File

1. Navigate to the Apex Server Panel, then log in.
2. Near the top of the page, press the Stop button to turn off the server.
   
3. After this, enter the Config Files section in the left-hand menu.
4. Open the Server Config until the text editor is available.
   

Adding a New Account

When inside of the Server Config text editor, scroll down near the bottom and locate the following:

  "serverUsers" : {
  },

Highlight these two lines, then replace the text with the following:

  "serverUsers" : {
    "UsernameHere" : {
        "admin" : false,
        "password" : "PasswordHere"
    }
  },

Replace UsernameHere with the desired username for the account. Similarly, replace PasswordHere with the password you want the account to use. Additionally, if you wish for the account to have admin privileges, make sure to set the admin text to true. Once this is complete, press the Save button at the top, then restart the server when prompted.

Adding Multiple Accounts

In some cases, you may want to have multiple accounts created for your server. Whether this is to have multiple admins or to limit who can join, this can all be achieved.

The process for this is similar, but instead adding multiple username, admin, and password options separated by a colon after the closing bracket. If correct, it will look like the following:

  "serverUsers" : {
    "Username1Here" : {
        "admin" : false,
        "password" : "Password1Here"
    },
    "Username2Here" : {
        "admin" : false,
        "password" : "Password2Here"
    },
    "Username2Here" : {
        "admin" : false,
        "password" : "Password2Here"
    },
  },

Like before, simply edit the usernames, admin status, and passwords as needed for each account. When this is done, press the Save button and restart as prompted.

Activating the Account Whitelist

While Starbound does not have the usual console-managed whitelist, you can prevent any anonymous connections to your server, meaning users will need to have a user account to connect.

1. From the Apex Panel page, stop the server.
2. Once again visit the Config Files > Server Config editor.
3. Locate "allowAnonymousConnections" near the top of the page.
   
4. Ensure this is set to false.
5. Following this, press the Save button and restart once again.

In-Game Changes

Upon trying to connect to the server, you must now make use of the username and password fields found on the server information popup. Simply enter the desired username and password, then connect as normal. As long as the information is correct, you will join the server normally and can begin playing on your new account!

Common Issues

Anonymous connections disallowed:
When this issue appears, it means that the whitelist has been enabled, but you are trying to connect without a user account. When a user account was created in the Server Config file, you must use that account to join a whitelisted server. This also occurs for any other players, each requiring their own user account to join. If you wish for accounts to be optional, set allowAnonymousConnections to true in the config file, then restart.

No such account or incorrect password:
This error will appear whenever incorrect information is entered in the connection menu. This error will appear even if a user account has never been created, which can be confusing for unfamiliar players. Ensure the username and password you are entering in-game match exactly what is typed through the config file. If you believe and error was made while creating the account, simply change the username and password in the file itself, then restart. Once the entered information matches an account, you can connect normally.
 

Helpful Links

Starbound Games Page